Are you going to the world's largest songwriters festival? Nashville's Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival tickets go on sale tomorrow at 10 a.m CT (www.tinpansouth.com).
This one-of-a-kind Tennessee festival is in its 23rd year and features more than 250 songwriters and 85 shows over five nights, March 24-28.
{Photo credit: Bev Moser}

Where are you going to spend Spring Break in Tennessee? Let us help you plan your getaway!

Catch Memphis Hop Tuesday through Sunday between 10:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. You can buy tickets on the bus, online, or at AutoZone Park, Graceland or the Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum. One-day tickets (good for 24 hours) cost $20 for adults and $15 for youths 12-17; children under 12 “hop on” for free. Want to ride two days? Adults get a $5 discount ($3 discount for youths).

Hop to This Splashy New Park

If you’re riding Memphis Hop with kids, you’re likely hopping off at the Children’s Museum of Memphis. Honestly, it would be hard not to once they see the hoopla happening right outside the museum’s doors:

Welcome to H2Oh! Splash, 7,700 square feet soaked by 40-some water features. This afternoon, I kicked back in a shaded Adirondack chair as my elementary-aged research assistants flirted with geysers, ran through misting loops and leaping streams, squealed beneath buckets alternately dripping and dumping, and spun on adorable play structures like this one:

In fact, the whole spray pad is cute as a button. With garden and ocean themes, nearly every element colorfully conjures a flower, mushroom, leaf or critter, the most popular of which may be the “whale organ” positioned at the pad’s center: As kids cover streams of water that sputter from holes along the whale’s back, sounds emerge. On a day like today (with a gentle breeze), I closed my eyes and half-convinced myself I was at the spa.

The whale organ

For your convenience, Jason’s Deli serves lunch inside the museum 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, and a small snack bar sells drinks, crackers and such outside. I like the option of packing a cooler, lawn chairs and a blanket – or lucking into one of the chairs or picnic tables adjacent to H2Oh! Splash. If your kid is anything like mine (alternating bites of food with runs through the sprayers), I think you’ll like this option, too. By the way, swim diapers are required for splashers 3 and under, and the pad is grounded with a soft (safe) surface.

H2Oh! Splash debuted May 27 and will remain open through Labor Day or later, weather-depending. Admission is separate from admission to the Children’s Museum ($8 for non-members Monday through Thursday; $10 for non-members Friday through Sunday and holidays; members pay $3 anytime). Be prepared to pay for the kids and any adult chaperones. H2Oh! Splash will be open daily 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. – again, weather-depending.

Zipcars! New flights!

Memphis Hop isn’t the only innovation simplifying travel around town: Zipcar recently arrived in Memphis, establishing stations across the city to bring you 24/7 access (no lines!) to automobiles. An online map points you to the stations and availability (luxury, hybrids and fuel-efficient models are offered). You’ll pay a small application fee and an annual membership fee, but the pay-as-you-drive plans include gas and insurance from $8.50/hour or $69/day.

At Memphis International Airport, Southwest Airlines is preparing to add six daily nonstop flights between Memphis and five destinations: Baltimore-Washington, Chicago Midway and Orlando to begin in August; Houston Hobby and Tampa to begin in November. Flights are already available for booking.

Have you ridden Memphis Hop around town yet? Tell us about your favorite “Hop Stop” in the comments section below!

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About Tennessee TripTales

Tennessee TripTales takes readers off the beaten path for an authentic Tennessee experience. From East to West and North to South, our TripTales serve as an insiders guide to the sights, sounds and soul of Tennessee.

Whether you're big city, low country or somewhere in between, TripTales will bring you the local lowdown on food, music, shopping, outdoor adventures, family-friendly attractions and more--all in one place, and all from experts who
have been there, done that and told the tale. So, grab your boots and saddle up! We've got a lot of terrain to cover.